1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of telecommunications, and in particular to antenna control systems within wireless communication systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
People and businesses demand larger bandwidths from their wireless communication providers. People and businesses also rely on dependability from their wireless communication providers. Consequently, the wireless communication providers are looking for ways to increase the dependability of their broadband wireless systems. A broadband system is generally referred to as a system that delivers 64 kilobits per second or above. Broadband systems can communicate over downstream channels and upstream channels. A customer receives data from another device or system over a downstream channel. The customer transmits data to another device or system over an upstream channel.
Antennas are used to transmit and receive data in a wireless communication system. The antennas are mounted on antenna structures and remotely located outdoors. An antenna structure typically has several antennas mounted to the antenna structure to support varying angles of reception and transmission coverage. Many antenna structures used in wireless communication systems, such as cellular telephony systems, support 360 degrees of reception and transmission coverage. Coverage of 360 degrees is achieved using multiple antennas with each antenna having a coverage of less than 360 degrees. For example, an antenna structure may comprise six antennas to support coverage of 360 degrees. Therefore, each antenna must cover 60 degrees to achieve a sum total coverage of 360 degrees.
An antenna feed is coupled to each antenna of the antenna structure. The antenna feed carries information about the transmitted and received data to a processing center. The information also includes a gain of the antenna The information regarding transmitted data, received data, and the gain of the antenna can yield clues as to an operational effectiveness of the antenna. When the operational effectiveness of an antenna is determined to be degraded or non-operational, the antenna is replaced. Physical replacement or repair of the antenna takes time that creates an outage for the wireless communication provider.
In many instances, antenna structures for the wireless communication systems are placed in regions of high consumer density such as cities. Cities offer large consumer populations but also offer many obstacles to transmitting and receiving data. The obstacles reside in the forms of trees and buildings, among other things. Furthermore, new obstacles can appear where no obstacle existed before. Thus, antenna structures are not always located where coverage is optimal. Moreover, since the antenna structures are normally located outdoors, the antenna structures are subjected to extreme weather conditions. Extreme weather conditions can either reduce or ultimately eliminate an antenna's operational capability. As a result, the wireless communication providers suffer decreased capabilities or even outages.
Unfortunately, communication outages of any duration immediately result in lost revenue to the service provider. Remotely located antennas compound the duration of an outage. Customers are insensitive to the conditions placed on a service provider. If a customer experiences “lost calls” as a result of service outages, the customer may become dissatisfied with the service provider. A dissatisfied customer is likely to switch to a competing service provider. A switch to a competing service provider obviously results in longer term lost revenue.
One solution is to backup each existing antenna with another fixed position antenna. However, the solution increases the number of antennas and becomes cost prohibitive. Furthermore, the solution does not comprise coverage flexibility, which may be all that is needed to support a degraded operational capability of an antenna. Another solution to the problem includes decreasing the sector coverage of each antenna thereby minimizing the loss, but this solution also serves to increase the number antennas. Both of the current solutions serve to support ineffective antennas, but both solutions also increase costs by increasing the number of antennas. Moreover, fixed antenna solutions are not flexible.